The commandment to love one another is at the heart of our Quaker faith, and centrally featured in its Christian roots. The Religious Society of Friends takes its name from a passage in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus declares,

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you . . . you are my friends if you do what I command you . . .I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. (John 15:12-15, NRSV)

Early Friends treasured a passage in St. Paul’s Epistle to Galatians (5:22): “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Echoing this passage, George Fox emphasized the spiritual centrality of love. Early in his ministry, he wrote to Friends, “I pray that all your hearts may be knit together in love, and in one spirit to God.” (Ep. #19, 1652), and later referred frequently to “the Royal Law of Love.”

QuakerSpeak video: Why I Don’t Wear a Tie in Court. Scott Holmes, a Quaker lawyer from Durham, North Carolina, felt led to stop wearing a tie in the courtroom. This is his story of exploring that leading and its implications.

Salt and Light: Documentary of the Sixth World Conference of FriendsThe documentary “Salt and Light“, a vivid video story of the Sixth World Conference of Friends, comes thanks to four Friends from Pacific Yearly Meeting.

Photo Galleries of Pacific Friends and a little of what we do to shine our Light in the world: